Dear Yuletide Author: 2020

Dear Author,

Thank you for writing for me!

I'll be happy with prettymuch anything in these fandoms, and I'm looking forward to seeing whatever you write. Some of my favorite elements include character focused stories, exploring complex relationships whether romantic or gen, found families. I would enjoy holiday-centric fic. I like angst that ends in a happy ending, and also fluff. I'm always up for playing around with formats/genres. I'm fine with any rating, but I generally prefer some plot (or at least character development) with my porn.
You can also check out the tiermaker I filled in with my trope likes/dislikes:
Romance Tropes
fanfic tropes

My AO3 profile: Macdragon

DNW: Cancer or major illness, parental death, current events/2020 content, crackfic, noncon/dubcon.

Mini Challenges: Chromatic Yuletide, Yulebuilding

My requests:

I May Destroy You (TV)
Arabella Essiedu, Terry Pratchard

I was completely blown away by this show--the writing, the intricate plot, the realism of the characters, Arabella as an antihero. Each episode was packed with so many little details, moments that made me laugh, and moments that broke my heart. All of the relationships were fascinating, but I especially loved Arabella and Terry's friendship and how entwined their lives are. It's ok if you don't want to focus on Terry but I would like seeing more of their relationship. I would prefer that this story not be romance-centric, but don't have a preference for any of Arabella's past flings to make an appearance. I do not want to read any graphic depictions of sexual assault here, but given the source material, I am fine with discussions of consent and things that happened previously. I'm pretty happy with anything about this show beyond that, but here are some ideas: 

• Write another alternate ending, or write what would happen if one of the alternate endings actually happened.
• If you want to take a supernatural twist, what about the "demon Bella" we see glimpses of? What if Arabella actually had the ability to reverse time? 
• More of Arabella and Terry's backstory, or what happens to Terry post-canon. 
• Do Arabella and Terry ever go back to Italy? Or maybe they take a trip someplace new? 
• Winter holiday/New Year's fic where Bella reflects back on this past year and sets intention for what she wants to see next.
• As a writer myself, I loved how the show plays with narrative structure and depicts telling a story. I could see a non-traditional format working for this fandom. 

My Sister the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite  
Korede, Ayoola

This book is about what it says on the tin: A woman whose sister is a serial killer. But it's more about their relationship,both with each other and within their family unit, than it is about murder. The novel barely scratches the surface of the potential for exploring the sisters' relationship, and I know the story isn't done with the last page. I loved the dry humor and the practicality of Korede's actions to cover up her sister's murders. There are a ton of directions to take this but here are some prompts: 

• What happens after the end of the book? Who is the next victim? Does Korede continue to cover for her sister? 
• What would happen if they did decide to move out of their mother's house? Maybe a murder gone wrong causes them to go on the run and find someplace else to live. 
• Ayoola seems to have a social media following. What if she gains more followers and becomes an influencer? What steps would Korede need to take to control her then? 
• Supernatural twist: What if Ayoola was actually a vampire/werewolf/whatever? 

Swordspoint - Ellen Kushner
Alec Campion, Richard St. Vier
I am once again asking you for Richard/Alec fic. I keep returning because their relationship is so fascinating to me. How their darkness fits together and how Richard is so drawn to the challenge of Alec's dangerous moods.  Neither are easy to love, but somehow they make it work, however imperfectly. I'll take fluff (or as fluffy as they can be) or angst in this fandom; my only DNW is that I would prefer that the story not take place after Richard's death. I'm always delighted to read anything new with these two, but I'll list some ideas. 

• Domesticity. Lazy days and long nights at their Riverside house. 
• Epistolary fic, while Richard and Alec are separated. 
• Alec has one of his depressive phases and Richard has to pull him out of it--is it early in their relationship when he's still learning how to do so? Or later when they know each other so well he knows exactly how to help Alec? 
• Richard fighting someone because Alec asked him to because that never gets old. 
• How do you celebrate the winter holidays in Riverside? 

Scholomance - Naomi Novik
Any Character 

I recenly read A Deadly Education, the first book of the Scholomance series, and it's a relatively short book but it's full of so much worldbuilding! A worldbuilding-centric fic would be lovely for this fandom, or else something that delves into a character's background or day to day life at the school. I love El as a narrator and I do ship El and Orion, so feel free to use that if you'd like. However, I'm equally happy to see an original character, or more about one of the minor characters. Some prompts I'd be interested in seeing:

• The School as a Character. Maybe something from the Scholomance's point of view, or history about how it has changed over the years. Does it truly have a mind of its own? What is it like being a maintenance track kid and learning the inner workings of the school? 
• I liked how books are treated as precious objects, so something about a sentient book or a story about someone's special spellbook, or more about El's Sutras. 
• Something in depth about one type of Mal, or make up your own Mal, since I'm sure we didn't see all of them yet. 
• What do those worksheets look like? What are some of the weirder assignments kids have gotten from the school?
• What is the impact of going through school at the Scholomance on a person long term? Is the outside world just filled with emotionally damaged alumni?  
  
  Thank you again, author, and Happy Yuletide!